State profile · Below median Poor share

Washington bridge safety

According to the Federal Highway Administration's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, condition ratings, load ratings, and Poor-condition shares for every public highway bridge in Washington.

8,474
Public bridges
50.1%
Good condition
5.5%
Poor condition

Washington has 8,474 public highway bridges in the FHWA's 2024 National Bridge Inventory, and 462 of them are rated Poor.

That is 5.5% of the state's inventory, against an average of 7.5% across the 54 states and territories with Poor-rated bridges on file, which places it 24 of 54 ordered from the lowest Poor share upward. A bridge is rated Poor when its weakest applicable component scores 4 or below on the inspecting agency's 0-9 scale, so the category is a maintenance and funding signal rather than a closure order or a live crossing-safety verdict.

Inventory: FHWA NBI 2024 · last ETL August 2026

Total Bridges

8,474

Public highway bridges in Washington

Good Condition

50.1%

4,246 bridges rated 7-9

0.1pp vs 50% benchmark

Poor Condition

5.5%

462 bridges whose lowest applicable component is rated 0-4

-2.1pp vs national avg 7.5%

Washington vs national bridge condition

Washington - Good condition share 50.1%
National avg

Share of bridges rated 7-9 on the FHWA 0-9 scale (deck, superstructure, substructure all good).

Washington - Poor-condition share 18.2%
National avg

Lower is better. Bar maxes at 30% (worst-state ceiling). National average sits at 7.5%.

Washington in the national condition pattern

Each point is a state or territory in the FHWA NBI; the highlighted point is this profile.

Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Washington has 8,474 bridges and a 5.5% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #24 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold. Scatter plot of 54 data points. 0%10%20%30%40% 0k20k40k60k Public bridges in inventory (thousands) Poor-condition share (%) WA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.45%AL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.35%AK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.89%AZ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.15%AR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.43%CA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 25.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.91%CO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.82%CT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.72%DE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.26%DC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.95%FL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.79%GA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.59%GU, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.77%HI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 1.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.53%ID, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.9%IL, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.35%IN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.22%IA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 19.16%KS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 5.26%KY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.37%LA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 12.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.48%ME, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.41%MD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.56%MA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.88%MI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 11.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 11.27%MN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 13.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.44%MS, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 16.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.03%MO, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 24.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 8.95%MT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.81%NE, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 15.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.9%NV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.14%NH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.51%NJ, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 6.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.01%NM, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.51%NY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 17.6k · Poor-condition share (%): 9.43%NC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 19.2k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.76%ND, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 4.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 10.98%OH, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 26.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.74%OK, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 22.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 7.7%OR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 8.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.61%PA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 23.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 12.58%PR, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 13.92%RI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0.8k · Poor-condition share (%): 15.2%SC, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 9.5k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.17%SD, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 5.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 16.36%TN, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 20.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 4.41%TX, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 56.7k · Poor-condition share (%): 1.23%UT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.91%VT, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 2.9k · Poor-condition share (%): 2.9%VI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 0k · Poor-condition share (%): 29.17%VA, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 3.39%WV, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 7.3k · Poor-condition share (%): 18.64%WI, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 14.4k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.52%WY, Public bridges in inventory (thousands): 3.1k · Poor-condition share (%): 6.51%
Inventory size and Poor-condition share are different measures: Washington has 8,474 bridges and a 5.5% Poor-condition share in the 2024 NBI, rank #24 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The dashed comparisons mark the national average state rate and the midpoint of the plotted inventory range; neither is a live safety or closure threshold.

Washington vs all states by public bridge inventory

Where this state's FHWA NBI public-highway bridge count sits among every state and territory on PlainBridges

8,474 29th of 54 higher than 25 of 54 states

States and territories, banded by public bridge inventory size

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source FHWA National Bridge Inventory · 2024

Read the rank neighborhood for Washington

The highlighted point is Washington: 8,474 bridges and 5.45% in Poor condition, rank #24 of 54 jurisdictions ordered from the lowest share upward. The five jurisdictions immediately above and below Washington on that same Poor-share ordering:

  • Kansas: 24,894 bridges · 5.26% Poor
  • Arkansas: 12,974 bridges · 5.43% Poor
  • Washington: 8,474 bridges · 5.45% Poor
  • California: 25,848 bridges · 5.91% Poor
  • New Jersey: 6,827 bridges · 6.01% Poor

The full national sortable table lives on the rankings page.

Material families in Washington

Exclusive FHWA material families across all 8,474 bridges in this state; continuous variants fold into the parent family. Orthogonal to the Poor-share scatter above.

Who maintains Washington’s inventory

State agency holds 39.9% of the 8,474 public highway bridges filed under Washington in the 2024 NBI, the agency-of-record split for this state, not a condition verdict.

When Washington’s bridges were built

Pre-1950 construction accounts for 12.8% of the 8,474 bridges with a recorded original year in Washington. Era bands are orthogonal to the Poor-share ranking above.

Condition Distribution

Washington50.1%44.4%GoodFairPoor
Bridge inventory deck-condition mix - Washington (FHWA NBI)

Counties (39)

Adams 187 Asotin 29 Benton 167 Chelan 149 Clallam 151 Clark 218 Columbia 86 Cowlitz 160 Douglas 40 Ferry 53 Franklin 134 Garfield 54 Grant 306 Grays Harbor 363 Island 7 Jefferson 99 King 1238 Kitsap 115 Kittitas 308 Klickitat 90 Lewis 419 Lincoln 180 Mason 133 Okanogan 161 Pacific 120 Pend Oreille 71 Pierce 472 San Juan 13 Skagit 254 Skamania 120 Snohomish 500 Spokane 307 Stevens 75 Thurston 205 Wahkiakum 36 Walla Walla 195 Whatcom 354 Whitman 347 Yakima 558

Washington vs nearby ranks

Adjacent states by Poor-condition share (lower share = better)

States are ranked by the share of bridges whose lowest applicable component rating is 4 or below. This describes recorded condition; it does not measure funding effectiveness or live crossing safety. States here sit immediately above and below Washington on the same metric.

KS

Kansas

5.26% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$24,894

AR

Arkansas

5.43% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$12,974
Selected

WA

Washington

5.45% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$8,474

CA

California

5.91% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$25,848

NJ

New Jersey

6.01% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$6,827

Bridges Needing Most Attention in Washington

Six lowest-condition bridges in Washington, ranked by the portal's composite display score. Inspection intervals are risk-based under current NBIS rules.

STATE ROUTE 509

Poor

Over: PUYALLUP WATERWAY RR

2.5 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1911 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 2,400

I-82

Poor

Over: WASTEWATER NUMBER 3

8.4 E JCT US 97, Yakima, WA

Built 1980 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 28,146

Fish War Mem X-ing

Poor

Over: PUYALLUP RIVER

0.2 N JCT I-5, Pierce, WA

Built 1925 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 15,255

POST STREET

Poor

Over: SPOKANE RIVER

00.6 N OF I-90, Spokane, WA

Built 1917 Load: 0.0 t ADT: 1,685

W Galer Street

Poor

Over: Private Road

Magnolia Seattle, King, WA

Built 1929 Load: 0.0 t

SILVER CK RD 00670

Poor

Over: NINE MILE CREEK

19.05 E SR 21, Ferry, WA

Built 1958 Load: 2.7 t ADT: 47

All Bridges in Washington

SR 9

Fair

Over: SNOHOMISH RIVER

2.2 N JCT SR 96, Snohomish, WA

Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 28,331

FERRY TRAFFIC

Fair

Over: PUGET SOUND @ TAHLEQUAH

SO. END VASHON IS, King, WA

Built 1954 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,106

SR 530

Fair

Over: SAUK RIVER

3.5 N SNOHOMISH CO, Skagit, WA

Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,439

BICKFORD AVE

Fair

Over: SR 9

3.9 N JCT SR 96, Snohomish, WA

Built 1963 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 10,998

FERRY TRAFFIC

Fair

Over: ELLIOTT BAY

W END MARION ST, King, WA

Built 1964 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 412

I-5

Fair

Over: KING-JACKSON ST

0.3 N JCT I-90, King, WA

Built 1965 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 69,913

US 2

Fair

Over: EBEY SLOUGH

1.9 E JCT I-5, Snohomish, WA

Built 1967 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 393

N-N RAMP

Fair

Over: SR 599 SB / SR 99 SB

2.4 N JCT SR 518, King, WA

Built 1966 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,826

FERRY TRAFFIC

Fair

Over: PUGET SOUND @ SEATTLE

W END MARION ST, King, WA

Built 1971 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 3,800

SR 104

Fair

Over: APPLE TREE COVE

9.1 E JCT SR 3, Kitsap, WA

Built 1986 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 10,000

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: CANYON CREEK

2 MILES EAST OF FOREST BO, Skamania, WA

Built 1951 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 207

ROAD

Fair

Over: N. FORK NOOKSACK RIVER

NO DATA ENTERED, Whatcom, WA

Built 1957 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 84

RD. NO. 25

Fair

Over: SUIATTLE RIVER

M.P. 0.1 RD. NO. 25, Skagit, WA

Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 24

ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST FORK FOSS RIVER

0.5 MI S OF 68/6835 JCT, King, WA

Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 60

CHEWACK RD

Fair

Over: LAKE CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Okanogan, WA

Built 1956 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 24

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK CALAWAH

NO DATA ENTERED, Clallam, WA

Built 1953 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 35

ROAD

Fair

Over: MEADOW CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Kittitas, WA

Built 1956 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 50

LABYRINTH MTN. RD.

Fair

Over: RAINY CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Chelan, WA

Built 1956 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 50

NO DATA ENTERED

Fair

Over: HARVEY CREEK

NO DATA ENTERED, Pend Oreille, WA

Built 1949 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 20

H ROAD NW

Fair

Over: WEST CANAL

H NW 0.4 North of SR 28, Grant, WA

Built 1949 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 271

TATMAN MTN RD

Fair

Over: PATAHA CREEK

.1 S JCT SR 12, Garfield, WA

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 250

BAY VIEW-EDISON RD

Fair

Over: SAMISH RIVER

0.5 W JCT SR 537, Skagit, WA

Built 1965 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 1,026

CASCADE RIVER RD

Fair

Over: N FORK CASCADE R

16.02 E JCT SR 20, Skagit, WA

Built 1986 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 84

I SW

Fair

Over: WEST CANAL

I SW .02 S of Frenchmen, Grant, WA

Built 1951 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 59

45TH AVE NE

Fair

Over: MCALEER CREEK

0.2 MI SE OF SR-522, King, WA

Built 1949 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 600

S RD NW

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION LATERAL

S NW 0.4 North of SR 28, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 786

MEADE HILL ROAD

Fair

Over: RAINEY CREEK

1.0 E GLENOMA, Lewis, WA

Built 1958 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 245

KIRKLAND ROAD

Fair

Over: NEWAUKUM RIVER

2.0 SE CHEHALIS, Lewis, WA

Built 1973 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 674

Agate Loop Rd

Fair

Over: CAMPBELL CREEK

0.48 N JCT CRESTVIEW DR, Mason, WA

Built 1950 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 257

KATON ROAD

Fair

Over: PEELS SLOUGH

0.6 S JCT 5294, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1976 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 215

INDEX-GALENA RD

Fair

Over: LEWIS CREEK

2.6 NE JCT SR 2, Snohomish, WA

Built 1968 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 186

COLLINS ROAD

Fair

Over: DRAINAGE DITCH

1.0 E TOLEDO, Lewis, WA

Built 1962 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 259

92 ND ST SE

Fair

Over: OVERFLOW CHANNEL

0.38W INT SR-2, Snohomish, WA

Built 1948 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 13,497

1 RD NW

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION LATERAL

1 NW .5 W of U, Grant, WA

Built 1956 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 231

PANHANDLE ROAD

Fair

Over: EAST FORK HOQUIAM RIVER

0.2 W JCT E HOQ RD, Grays Harbor, WA

Built 1930 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 95

M RD NW

Fair

Over: IRRIGATION LATERAL

M NW .6 N of 12, Grant, WA

Built 1952 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 247

KING ST

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

.4 N JCT. SR 507, Lewis, WA

Built 1940 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 223

PINE ST

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

.1 N JCT. FAS1027, Lewis, WA

Built 1941 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 154

IRON ST

Fair

Over: CHINA CREEK

.1 N JCT FAS 1027, Lewis, WA

Built 1941 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 318

SMITH CREEK RD

Fair

Over: SMITH CREEK

0.29 E JCT SR 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1994 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 112

Columbus Avenue

Fair

Over: Little Klickitat River

0.2 N JCT SR142, Klickitat, WA

Built 2001 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 870

CASCADE RIVER ROAD

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK CASCADE RIVER

20.6 Miles East of Marble, Skagit, WA

Built 1979 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 50

SOL DUC VALLEY ROA

Fair

Over: NORTH FORK SOL DUC RIVER

5.5 MI. SE OF JCT. HWY. 1, Clallam, WA

Built 1959 Load: 23.6 t ADT: 496

SR 7

Fair

Over: OHOP SLOUGH

3.4 N JCT SR 161, Pierce, WA

Built 1922 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 2,712

SR 6

Fair

Over: ROCK CREEK

23.2 E JCT US 101, Pacific, WA

Built 1928 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 1,561

I-5

Fair

Over: 44TH AVE NW

4.1 N JCT SR 532, Snohomish, WA

Built 1957 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 32,189

E 11TH ST

Fair

Over: CITY WATERWAY CS2749

E 11TH ST JCT I-705, Pierce, WA

Built 1911 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 3,100

I-5

Fair

Over: NE 179TH ST

2.0 N JCT I-205, Clark, WA

Built 1961 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 55,025

I-5

Fair

Over: I-705 SR 7 RAMPS RR

1.3 N JCT SR 16, Pierce, WA

Built 1964 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 72,576

S-W RAMP

Fair

Over: SOUTHCENTER BLVD

5.2 N JCT SR 516, King, WA

Built 1965 Load: 23.7 t ADT: 14,215

Showing 1,351-1,400 of 8,474 bridges

Related

All states → | National rankings → | Understanding conditions → | Retired SD term explained →
Data sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI), latest released cycle. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBridges.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the FHWA National Bridge Inventory (NBI). Poor condition is an inspection-record category, not a closure or unsafe-to-cross designation. Consult the bridge owner for current status.

Understanding Bridge Conditions

How FHWA rates bridge condition on a 0-9 scale.

Check Your Daily Bridges

How to look up bridge condition data for bridges on your route.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

What to do with this

Use Washington's inventory picture to drill to a county or a specific span.

  • Browse counties in Washington and open the highest-Poor shares first. County list
  • See where this state sits among peers on Poor-condition share. State rankings
  • Compare this state with another jurisdiction on the same measures. State compare

NBI condition ratings are inventory snapshots, not live crossing-safety verdicts.

Every figure on PlainBridges is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Washington Good/Fair/Poor shares and county rollups on this page are computed from the same NBI extract as the national boards; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024 NBI release. NBI condition categories reflect the latest reported inventory record, not a live safety, closure, or travel decision.